Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A significant number of people have contacted me about the failure of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, to fund to completion those pursuing doctoral studies in various disciplines. These postgraduate students are eligible to grant aid under SUSI’s criteria. However, it is cut off due to time limits. Some have indicated SUSI is an indiscriminate guillotine for Irish research. The Department of Education and Skills is responsible for this unfortunate outcome. It is impossible for some students to complete a postdoctoral degree because of course programming. A four-year undergraduate degree is a requirement for many students. This can be followed by a two-year masters. This leaves a two-year funding window to achieve a PhD which is next to impossible. There are students not affected by this if their degree path is three years followed by a year long masters. SUSI will allow them to complete their PhD.

The facts are that SUSI funds some PhD students and cuts off others during their research. This is a significant anomaly affecting many of our ambitious students who are eager to complete their doctorate studies and contribute in various proactive research ways to the economy. Cutting off the grant aid is crucial. It is solely to do with the way courses have been designed. This is not the fault of any student. The blame lies with the Department of Education and Skills which has supported these decisions. It is unfair, unjust and wrong. Those in most need of financial support are victimised because of programming decisions made by third level institutions.

The Department reinforces this trajectory of senselessness, incomprehension and bias. There is no lateral thinking, communication or connectivity between SUSI, third level institutions and the Department to resolve this. Many researchers across various disciplines are affected by this but it is particularly prejudicial to fine arts students whose third level programmes are mainly four years followed by a two-year masters format. These students are not as exposed to employment-based funding as others and have very little funding available to them. Accordingly, many are solely dependent on SUSI. A substantial number of artists have an annual income well below the SUSI threshold, yet these policies ensure they are not supported because of lack of consideration in policy-making. Students should not be discriminated against because of course duration which has nothing to do with them.

The Government has the audacity to call this country the republic of opportunity. It should tell that to researchers who are having their research stopped by SUSI. There are many areas of inquiry being undertaken which focus on rural life, the environment, inclusion, diversity and the arts. Unfortunately, the Department does not have any vision. It cannot appreciate that our communities need these fact-finding investigations. It cannot see this research as an investment in our universities. This research has the very best of Ireland’s academics working alongside these PhD students in supervisory roles. There are two supervisors assigned to every investigation. The findings are then analytically scrutinised by an external examiner. These dissertations are comprehensively leading analysis and all for the price of a SUSI grant.

The Department, however, terminates prematurely the funding. One such researcher told me the Department’s lack of awareness and respect is really distressing. Researchers have appealed decisions that have cancelled their funding. SUSI is, however, completely indifferent to their situation or the importance of the research because it always upholds its decision to terminate and claims it is following policy. This is cruel and insane. It has the potential to be the ultimate win-win situation for the Department, our universities and our communities. Instead, it oversees a waste of public money, a waste of time for the universities and researchers and wasted opportunities of exploration of which we are in desperate need.

I hope the Minister of State can address this situation. I have no doubt but that she is acutely aware of the point I raise.

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